Retaking Twilight
by boredpostgrad
Summary: In a world where New Moon and the Twilight Series qualified depression and emotional abuse as overwhelming love, this looks to acknowledge and validate these experiences for what they are. While the basic plot remains the same the addition of Bella's younger sister, and a different approach to her problems, turns the ending of this beloved story on its head.
1. A Dark Middle

**Author's note: Fiction stories are labeled as such for a reason: they are not real. They transport people to different worlds where things you can barely imagine are real. That being said, I do not believe that fiction worlds cannot be based in realism, which is something the Twilight books are sadly lacking. Not necessarily in the towns they are based in but in how the people and their experiences are described. As a bored post grad I decided to do something about it. This is not an entirely new story. The characters and plot lines are very similar to Stephanie Meyers and I do not own any of her ideas. But I do own the fact that what she describes as obsessive love and old-fashioned values is actually depression and abusive/controlling behavior. No offense to Mrs. Meyer but I for one am hoping to make the fact that this is what is occurring very clear, and that it is ok for these teens to deal with these problems within the confines of a fantasy world. I hope that maybe this allows some people to identify more with the characters they know and love, recognize some signs of problems before they get worse, and maybe learn some possible solutions to problems they themselves face. This story will contain triggers for suicide/depression and abuse (non physical). If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call 1-800-273-8255 for the national suicide prevention hotline or 1-800-799-7233 for the National Domestic Violence hotline. Holding things in is not being strong, or brave but getting help and facing those problems and fears straight on is. Sorry for such a long author's note right at the beginning of the story, I've been known to not shut up. Now that this is out of the way sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.**

Stories are simple. They have a set beginning, middle, and end including a swelling climax right before that that lets the reader know when the solution to all the protagonist's problems is about to show up. Real life, on the other hand, is no-where near this simple. There are too many details, too many characters, and too many problems, with no giant sign pointing toward those solutions. One such problem Lia Swan was currently speeding towards in the form of her sister in Forks, Washington. Normally, Lia pulled whatever excuses she could to avoid the soaked, frankly boring town her parents had once both called home; but this time it seemed she had no choice. Bella had fallen completely into that dark hole of hers, and while their dad was a good man, he made for a completely hapless therapist. Insert his younger daughter, who, to her complete chagrin, was excellent at pushing the older of the girls out of her comfort zone and out of her hole. So, on the precipice of a new school year, and an understanding that this might not be as easy as the usual force Bella to talk it out and then watch a comedy to counteract the crying routine she usually used, Lia continued her drive towards lord knows what.

He had left. He had left and not even for a decent reason. "You're not good for me Bella". As if this hadn't been the case since day one. He had wanted to break an eternity long commitment to not eat people the second he'd smelled her for crying out loud. And yet, there she had been, lost in the middle of the woods, abandoned by her only love who had told her to stay safe but couldn't be bothered to get her out of said woods, after pathetically begging him to allow her to remain in his life by any means. Now she was grasping. Grasping at any reasons to stay alive, while every fiber of her being was telling her give up. "It won't be getting any better", that little voice would say; "you weren't worth it for him, you aren't worth it for anyone else, you aren't even worth anything to yourself". The darkness had become exhausting; exhaustion she felt in her bones and in her spirit. Everyday felt like a never-ending chore, with dragging herself out of bed for school being one of the most arduous tasks imaginable. Today, Charlie informing her that they would be having a discussion when she returned home made that exact task exponentially worse. Slowly but surely, Bella forced herself to the bathroom, put her hair in a bun, and threw on enough deodorant and perfume that no one would notice her being on the third day without showering. To her great relief Charlie had already left for work, but this relief was short lived as a bright neon sticky note on the fridge caught her attention. "Don't forget out discussion later" was all it said. This was the day she had been dreading. For the most part people had been allowing her to openly live in the darkness. Sans the few questions about missing club meetings and the occasional missed calls/texts from Angela, people had basically stayed out of her business. And for Bella it was all the better. The darkness was a little less exhausting when she didn't have to use the little energy she did have to plaster a fake smile on her face. Her occasional good weeks meant that her friends just accepted her excuse of having problems at home when the darkness took hold again. Charlie, however, knew this was a lie. Of course he did, he was the only other person at home. And today, Bella felt in her gut, was the day she would have to begin to fake it. Fake having good days, possibly good weeks. Fake a smile and a conversation, fake that hole in her chest being slightly closed up. She'd have to show up to yearbook club and laugh at Eric's stupid jokes, and eat lunch with the group while peppering in bits of "yea" and "that's crazy" to Jessica, who loved to blab on about her boy problems. Because Charlie, had finally caught onto the fact that Bella was having some issues. And with Renee's way for fixing a problem being running away from it, she doubted Charlie would expect any less of Renee's first born. With that in mind, and having stood in the kitchen simply staring at the note for far too long, Bella ran to her truck and off to school, firmly placing that mask of happiness on her face as she drove.

 _Secure in the fact that no one was home or nearby, the shadowy figure slipped through the all too familiar window. Nothing had changed. The same clothes remained on THE chair. The same fairy lights were strung around the perimeter of the room, and that pesky dream catcher hung over her pillow. Her strawberry sent perforated every inch of surface area and he felt a sense of calm wash over himself. He lived in it for a moment, allowing himself a slight treat before coming back to the present and focusing on the task at hand. Moving the bed ever so slightly, the figure lifted the one loose floorboard and reached inside, retrieving the most recent photograph of him and his singer. Placing it inside his jacket pocket he returned the floorboard and bed to their original positions and made sure to spray some of her favorite strawberry sent to cover any trace of his cologne. Grasping onto the picture he assured himself that this was the right thing to do. Simply because he had removed himself from her life did not mean he had to remove her from his own. Climbing back through the window he stopped for a second to admire the room once more before a distant howl forced the figure to run._


	2. The Opposite of Forks

**A/N This story will contain triggers for suicide/depression and abuse (non physical). If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline or 1-800-799-7233 for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Holding things in is not being strong, or brave but getting help and facing those problems and fears straight on is. Also, sorry if this seems like a slow start, I'm trying to write it like an actual book, so in reality this would only be half a chapter but I can understand how on a website it might seem sluggish of a story. I swear it gets better! I own nothing of Stephanie Meyers.**

Bella had done it. She had made it through the day with that fake smile plastered on her face, and her friends had whole-heartedly believed this was one of her good days. She had even gone beyond what a good day would normally require, staying after for a yearbook meeting and submitting pictures for the school newspaper. By the time Bella arrived home she felt almost a sort of confidence build in her. The day was tough, and faking every ounce of emotion was predictably exhausting; but her ability to do so had never waivered. That sense of confidence drained the second the image of Charlie sitting on their front steps came into view. "Charlie won't be fooled dumbass," that now strong voice in her head laughed "He's Police Chief, idiot" it continued to snicker. As she parked and approached the house, the voice got louder and louder, causing a crack in the perfectly crafted mask of contentedness, that had previously held so strong. But Charlie did not in fact see this, his face in fact brightening up upon realizing this was a "good day".

"Hey Bells, how was school?" Charlie asked, a sense of hope hidden behind the ordinary question. Show time, Bella thought. Taking a quick, steadying breath she responded.

"It was actually really great! I got an A on my English paper (lie, she had gotten it extended due to a lack of a physical paper on her part), and Angela and me are planning a trip to go dress shopping for homecoming (another lie, they had talked about some book Angela was reading). Oh and I submitted some pictures to the school newspaper. (Not a lie. Step one to creating a convincing façade; always throw a bit of truth into the mix)".

That little bit of hope from before now blossomed into full blown happiness as Charlie smiled wide, relief showing in his eyes, as he held himself back from attacking her with a bear hug. His kid was ok. Maybe only for today, but she was ok.

Bella, seeing his relief, began walking inside. Maybe she could make a break for it before he decided to go all dad on her.

"So Bells, there's something I have been meaning to discuss with you". Welp, she had tried.

"Uh yea Dad what's up?" "Well, and before I say this I want you to know the decision was super last minute and your mother and I talked long and hard, and well I really wasn't sure how to tell you hence me also telling you last minute…"

Great, Bella thought, he's kicking me out, all the way back to Jacksonville. At least maybe she could be slightly tanned and miserable there.

"….But um your sister is coming to live with us". Shit, shit, shit! Oh that was ten times worse than getting told she was being shipped off to Florida. All Bella could muster was a open-mouthed stare at Charlie, who at this point looked worried, probably assuming he had broke her. Finally, words came out

"Uh dad, just um… why?" "Well she missed you, and I haven't seen her for more than two weeks in years, and well me and your mom thought it might be good for you to have her around. You two always seem happier when you're around each other". Psh yea ok, Lia was a bubbly ball of personality she was always happier around literally anyone. And Bella, well Bella was unsure if she wanted to be that "happier" version of herself that she was around Lia.

"Ok but Lia hates Forks. Like would rather get shipped to China than move here"

"Well she's more mature now, and clearly she is ok enough with Forks to move here". " "Dad, Lia is the opposite of everything Forks. When we were in Phoenix, she was downtown constantly. And when we were in New Jersey I'm pretty sure she lived in Manhattan more than our house. Hell, the girl can't go a day without tanning or some sort of sunlight. She might have a mental breakdown if she gets too pale!" "And, annnd, she constantly needs stuff to do. I can't remember the last Saturday she spent doing nothing unless she was sick or actively made the decision to be boring. She'll lose her mind weekend one here!"

Now Bella was just rambling. But she could see the cracks in Charlie's resolve. He clearly knew she was right. Not that Lia was some miserable, whiny brat, it was quite the opposite actually. If the environment was not ideal to her, well she made it ideal. She worked waitressing shifts after school so she could pay for those trips into the city, and kept her grades up so Renee would buy her that lovely Jeep of hers. No friends? Not a problem; Lia would just ask to sit at a lunch table, interject into the conversation with a joke at some point, and bam! she was set. Lia didn't whine about her problems, she fixed them. And here came Bella's problem with Lia; she tried to get Bella to do the same damn thing. Every time Bella got dragged into that dark hole when Lia was around she would practically shove her into her own makeshift version of therapy. Where Bella told her what had led to this particular episode, Lia would talk to her about it everyday until Bella started to feel better, and then they'd watch a movie to laugh and move on.

This usual way of doing things meant Bella was incredibly screwed for the following reason; Lia was going to pull her usual therapy shit the second she was unpacked. Except, Bella couldn't explain the problem this time. "Oh yea well listen I normally wouldn't be this broken up over a boy but this time he was a vampire and promised me I was his immortal love but then proceeded to dump me and leave me stranded in the woods" didn't exactly roll off the tongue. With Charlie, it was easy enough to pretend that this was normal first love lost drama. He hadn't even dated after Renee. Lia on the other hand, she was much more familiar with boys and breakups; she wasn't going to buy any of Bella's excuses.

"Listen Bells, I really appreciate you being concerned for your sister" Charlie started, dragging Bella out of her inner monologue, "but she will be fine. And it's only until you graduate. Then she is moving back in with your mother'. Bella thought she heard a hint of disappointment when Charlie spoke that last part, but in all honesty she couldn't be bothered to care at that moment. There was an end date on Lia's presence in Forks, an exact stretch of time that Bella would have to fake being ok or at the bare minimum tell Lia to back off constantly. "Then," whispered the voice "we can give up, finally". A sense of contentment washed over her, and she looked at Charlie with all the hope in the world in his eyes. The poor man had no idea what was coming, but maybe if she could make him happy for the coming months, it would all work out ok. Sighing, "when is she getting here?".

Relief. "She'll be here tonight, but don't worry she's staying in the downstairs guest room so if she comes in super late it shouldn't wake you up'. No worries on that end, sleep hadn't been on the agenda in weeks. "I'm gonna go make dinner; anything else you need?" "No but uh Bella…I'm glad you had a good day honey". "Yea Dad, me too".

The house was blanketed in complete darkness, but whether from how late it was or the mass amount of trees surrounding it, was anyone's guess. Lights were faint but illuminated the inside and Lia sighed with relief. Someone had actually attempted to stay up for her. Not sure if Charlie was actually awake though, and not wanting to scare the man with the gun, Lia called the house phone. "Hello?" Bella. The sound shocked Lia straight into silence. It was a sound she hadn't heard in months, and one that she had assumed she wouldn't have to hear for at least another twelve hours. "Heelllooo?" Bella was beginning to get annoyed with the lack of an answer. Finally, "Hey LaLa, it's your favorite person, currently cold and stuck outside". "Oh my god, hey Emilia! Do you need help getting in? Do you want me to wake up Dad?!" So, they were going with full names, and avoiding each other as an opening move. Lia could tell she had her work cut out for her. That did not, however, mean she couldn't be slightly passive aggressive. "Yea if you could I'd really appreciate it. Just need help with one or two bags, but I'm sure you've gotta get some sort of sleep before school". That caused some hesitation. "Uh yea you know someone told me that you should get at least four hours or just not even bother. Kind of now or never. I'll just go get Dad…" "Ok I'm gonna hang up, I'll see ya tomorrow LaLa" "Yea night Emilia"

Lia began pulling her bags out of the car, all of which felt heavier than she remembered. Or maybe her short, insignificant/significant convo with Bella was what was really weighing her down. Emilia. It felt dirty, like that feeling someone gets when their parents are yelling their full names down the hall, and the person just knows they're screwed. Normally, even when Bella was on the verge of throwing her in a six-foot ditch, she still called her Lia. Emilia wasn't just her name, it was Bella's way of signaling to her; signaling that she was not exactly her friend as this moment and maybe if she had the option to stay away, it was in Lia's best option to take it. Well sucks for you Bella! Lia smirked to herself, I'm great at dealing with people annoyed at my presence. Just go ask mom! It was at this point Charlie walked out the front door, dragging his feet slightly. Seriously Bella, you could've sucked it up and just been passive aggressive to my face for twenty minutes; saved Charlie some sleep. Now the bags were definitely heavier. Jesus, what did she pack?! Charlie had reached her and immediately started grabbing bags that Lia was avoiding. God bless Dads who save the reunions for post- unload. "Hiya Pops!" "Hi Lia, how was the drive?" "Pretty good, pretty long. Not the worst I've ever had". "Good, Good".

Lia had forgotten how many words Charlie seemed to be lacking as he kicked open the door and led her to the room that was going to be hers. To someone like Bella, who loved purple and wanted her life covered in it, Lia's room would be the actual worst. But for Lia, whose idea of perfect was clean and illuminated, the white walls and light grey dressers were a dream. The gold handles as accents added a cherry on top. As Lia surveyed her new room with a smile on her face, Charlie surveyed his long-missed daughter. She had changed a great deal since the last time he'd seen her. The long dark hair that seemed to be a staple for both his kids, was now simply a slight part of his daughters dark to bleach blonde balyage she now sported. Her skin had turned to an olive tone, at least three shades darker than her sisters and at least a shade darker than her last visit. Charlie almost wanted to cry, having to accept that another one of his daughters was in fact clearly attractive. And to his great unease, his younger daughter seemed to be embracing that in her effort towards her outward appearance.

Were her nails done too? And how many piercings had she accumulated? When had she gotten a nose ring? When had she started dressing like someone on one of those social media sites? Charlie could feel himself beginning to panic and looked to Lia to do something to save him. Lucky for him, Lia knew how to fill an awkward silence. Having placed her suitcases off to the side, and freeing up her hands, Lia ran up and gave her dad a big hug; mercifully pulling him away from his worries. "It's good to see you Dad". "Its good to see you too kiddo" Charlie whispered. He held on for a few seconds longer than he normally would and then let go.

"Sorry to do this but uh I've got to be up in a few hours for work so if you don't need me, I think I'll turn in". "No its ok, I was just about to say I'm kind of exhausted" Lia breathily laughed. She was always adding a little breathy laugh at the end of her statement when she felt awkward about what she was saying. It was how she got people to warm up to her; get them to smile at the very least or tat hat most they would chuckle along with her. Either way, it stopped any of her statements from being taken in a controversial way.

"Alright, Bella has school tomorrow and I'll be at work so you're gonna have the house to yourself for a while. I can help you unpack when I get home if you want". "Yea Dad I'll let you know if I don't finish". "Sounds good, night!" "Night Dad, love ya" "Love you too".

With Charlie gone, Lia had a few moments to herself again before she passed out. Opening her phone, Lia checked her Snapchat and texts, making sure to respond to those friends that would legitimately call the cops if she didn't respond within a few hours of the time she had said she was arriving. Then, opening her laptop, she found a crime documentary on Netflix and went to the bathroom to wash off all remnants of makeup. It was at this point a long, piercing howl rang out, sounding only a few feet from the window. Lia jumped, startled at this unfamiliar sound and ran to turn on all the lights. The girl could've sworn that when she looked up to the now illuminated blinds, a large figure ran by. Startled again, Lia backed away from the window, pausing her documentary. There was no way a giant thing was running around her backyard. Lia stood in silence for a little while, waiting for another howl or flash of movement, but nothing. Yep, the show is definitely making me paranoid, thought Lia. Pressing the play button, Lia went back to washing up and then slightly ran back to her room, locking the door once inside. Maybe it was paranoia but it never hurt to lock a door.

The exhaustion eventually took over, leaving Lia passed out in front of the still running documentary. Despite the violent program playing right before sleep, she would have a dream not a nightmare. She would dream of a sweet relationship with a faceless man. She would dream of a future life of romantic dates in Seattle and moving into a Manhattan apartment. She would dream of a grey/white wolf. And she would dream for hours but come morning, those dreams were but a pleasant feeling of a good nights rest, leaving Lia with absolutely no indication of how real those dreams were about to become.


	3. A New Old Friend

A/N **This story will contain triggers for suicide/depression and abuse (non physical). If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call** 1-800-273-8255 **for the** National Suicide Prevention Hotline or 1-800-799-7233 **for the** National Domestic Violence Hotline. **Holding things in is not being strong, or brave but getting help and facing those problems and fears straight on is.**

Trees had started to blur miles back, blending into each other and the rain that had been down pouring for hours now. A green sign labeled La Push, next exit, came into view and the orange rusted truck moved right. By the time the truck came to a stop in front of the familiar red house the rain had thankfully cleared up, although it had not taken the dark clouds with it. God forbid Forks experience some sun. Seated on a decent plot of land directly next to the woods, the Black's house hadn't changed in years. The red-painted wood paneling was a little worse for wear and the tin roof cover had rusted slightly but the ranch-style home still gave off a welcoming aura. She hadn't been to their house in years, and honestly she was just as worse for wear. Turns out that those extra years hadn't been kind to anyone. Well no one, except for Jacob Black. Formerly, he had been a sweet, awkward teen. Not scrawny by any means, but clearly still coming into his own. The Jacob Black that now came bounding out of the garage towards Bella could only be described as someone who puberty had hit like a train. Jake hadn't grown up, but he clearly grew out, with all his new weight being made up entirely of muscle. The puppy dog eyes that were a staple of Jake now held a slight smolder and his smile was perfectly lopsided. Fortunately, his long black hair still remained. As did the warmth that was always projected from behind that smile. Bella felt this warmth physically as Jake proceeded to wrap her in a hug, and sweep her off her feet (literally). Was he running an obscene temperature or had Bella finally gone insane?

"Bella!" Her feet now touched the ground but Jake hadn't let go yet. Bella was starting to sweat. "Hey Jake!" She continued to hug him back. Jake pulled away enough to look at her and take her in. _Poor Jake,_ Bella lamented, _there's really nothing to admire._ It only took a few more seconds and then Jake was pulling her into another bear hug, asking where she had been these past few years. Bella tried to answer, but this was made exponentially more difficult by the fact her face was currently squashed against a well-toned pectoral. Finally realizing that his old friend was suffocating, Jake released her and stood back a few feet. Bella felt cold immediately.

"So, you were in Phoenix right? The one in Arizona?" Bella had to laugh at that one; "Yea the famous one. Mom thankfully didn't move from one bubmlefuck town to another". Now was Jake's turn to laugh "So why return to bumblefuck?"

 _Because I'm already a piece of shit, I don't need to be the piece of shit that also ruins the honeymoon phase of my mother's new marriage._

"You know, house was just getting a little too crowded, so I made the executive decision to vacate a room". "Your mom must miss you"

 _Yea I doubt she misses having to deal with the problem child of the family_

"Yea I guess. Apparently my sister missed me more. She moved in with us last night"

"Oh, no way! That's awesome! You should invite her to one of the bonfires or something some time. Always got lots of friends who would like to meet new people."

 _Yea sure. I'll let the most nosy, intuitive person in my life spend even more time around me than she already does at home. No problems there. While we're at it, how about Lia invites Charlie to one of her weekly party excursions?_

"Uh yea maybe one of these days". Thankfully, Jake seemed to feel the awkwardness in Bella's last answer, because he quickly changed the subject.

"So, what was this big surprise you said you had". Looking down at her feet, Bella managed to mumble out the words "Some motorcycles".

"Huh?" "Motorcycles" "One more time" "Motorcycles" "Ok sorry Bells, can you repeat that again?" "Motorcycles!". She hadn't meant to yell on that last one, but Jake seemed to be completely oblivious. "Motorcycles?! Like you bought one or you want advice on them?" "Like I bought two junk ones, and you were the best person I could think of to help me fix them up". " _You_ , want to fix up and ride a motorcycle? _You?_ " His amazed tone slightly insulted Bella. She wasn't exactly a girly girl, it wasn't that surprising that she'd want to do this.

"Yes me Jesus! It's not that insane, they aren't exactly Harley Davidson's! "Yea I know but like you don't even play sports, and you wanna ride a motorcycle?" "Yes, ok I wanna ride a motorcycle! Are you gonna help me or is YouTube becoming my best friend?" "No, no I'll help. Lets go pull them down so we can have a look in the garage. In the truck bed?" Bella nodded.

As Jake removed the bikes from the truck bed, and simultaneously gave them a cringe worthy face, Bella realized that maybe she shouldn't have been as insulted as she was. The fact she would want to ride a bike should be shocking to other people because truth-be-told, the bikes had been a surprise to her. All she had been trying to do was find a reason to avoid home after yearbook club, thus avoiding Lia in turn. Apparently her subconscious had a sick sense of humor because come lunchtime Mike Newton was whining about having to sell off some pieces of junk, she was word vomiting that she would take them, and here she was. Thank god for Jacob being so open to weird texts and hanging out with her.

"Well they are real pieces of crap, but I think in a few weeks we can get them running. Parts are gonna be worth more than the bikes though" Jake's words pulled her from her thoughts and she looked over to see a genuine, excited smile grinning back at her. Bella couldn't help but smile back, the warmth Jacob emanated being contagious. "So when can you start?" "Right now if you've got the time to stick around". Music to her ears. She had all the time; in fact she was willing to simply move into the garage. It was actually quickly becoming her goal; literally anything to avoid being home. "I can stay until you're sick of me." Jacob laughed again and flashed her his perfect smile; "That will never happen, but sure. I just have to go grab an extra tool box from my room, B.R.B". Bella took the opportunity to text her dad, and sister, about where she was. Both would be happy about this little excursion and both wouldn't question why she was spending time late into the night with a young man. Perks of being friends since Pre-K. Bella looked up from her phone just as Jake walked back in. He was carrying the toolbox but he had also changed into a grease covered shirt and jeans. What was extremely noticeable about the shirt was how tight it clung to his new muscles. Were those abs? Since when did Jake have abs? In an attempt to stop staring at her friend like a prime cut of meat, Bella began asking questions about the bikes; what each bit and piece did. Jacob was more than happy to indulge her, seemingly eager to talk for forever about mechanic stuff. They fell into a comfortable conversation, Bella forgetting to continue her miserable inner monologue for just a little.

Before either of them knew it the time was way too late and despite neither of them wanting to separate, both needed to be up for school the next day. Bella agreed to go over Jake's again tomorrow and slowly drove her lovable truck home. To her great relief Lia and Charlie were both completely passed out upon her arrival, allowing her to slip upstairs and remove the mask of happiness for just a little while. With Jake it had been less of a mask and more of a sheer covering. Just slightly less effort, just slightly less exhausting. But now that she was alone, the dark thoughts crept over and the soul-crushing exhaustion really kicked in. Bella legitimately wondered how her and her sister came from the same people. Here she was, curled up on her bed with absolutely no want nor motivation to even shower, and then there was her sister who had to apply her full face of makeup everyday or melt like the wicked witch. Biology class should use the two of them as subjects for experimentation; they were honestly scientific miracles. These thoughts of her sister were soon cut off by the sleep Bella felt she so desperately needed.

 **PSA: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters created by Stephanie Meyer**


	4. Family Feud

This story will contain triggers for suicide/depression and abuse (non physical). If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline or 1-800-799-7233 for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Holding things in is not being strong, or brave but getting help and facing those problems and fears straight on is

Bella and Jake hung out everyday for the next week and the weekend. Bella had started hanging with him to simply avoid her sister, but she was finding that Jake was actually a good friend. He listened attentively to even her most trivial problems (no way after a week was he finding out the real ones) and could make a girl laugh with the skill of a comic. Bella had even met his friends Quil and Embry, who hung around the garage quite often, offering no help but Quil giving many a pick up line. It was even kind of cute until it got insanely annoying.

You would think that they were brothers rather than friends by just looking at them; Jacob clearly wasn't the only one to destroy puberty. Whatever they were feeding these boys, they should package and sell it. The reservation would be set for eternity. Bella made a mental note to suggest this business proposition to Jake when she got to La Push. This particular day, she was more than excited to go sit in the messy garage with the boys; even Quil. Because on this fine Monday morning it had been her sister's first day of school and Lia did not fail to make a standout first impression; much to Bella's humiliation. Oh sure, for her sister it was what Bella could only imagine was her dream situation. It had taken Lia t-minus two minutes into their elective photography class to charm people with her smile and humor, pushing Bella down to the status of second best Swan once again. Not that she had ever been particularly fond of the strange attention everyone gave her since first arriving in Forks but it was the principle of the thing. By the time lunch came around Lia had not only introduced/made friends with Bella's small circle but had managed to have class with the varsity cheer captain and basically guaranteed herself a spot in that group as well. It would not surprise Bella if Lia took over the top spot at the school once the captain graduated It had happened once before at their school in Phoenix. Thank god she would not have to be around for round two this time.

It was all too easy for her sister to dance through life because, well, she was everything Bella was supposed to be upon arrival but hadn't been. The girl from Arizona with a sun-kissed personality and equally sun-kissed skin. Even the sun had shown for her on her first day of school. As Bella began walking towards the garage she was getting more and more pissed off. Could someone please explain why her sister could always manage to be better? Better at style, better at makeup, better at hair. Better at friends, and school, and just life. Hell, she was more adept at keeping Bella's life together than Bella herself was. She was fine with remaining in the background, in fact having as much publicity as her little sis gave Bella a minor panic attack, but why couldn't Lia be herself without being perfect? As her temper rose to the place of tears forming, Bella was stopped dead in her tracks by loud shouting her brain had tuned out until, apparently, just that second. She could only recognize Jake's voice, which was strong but slightly panicked. The other was simply angry.

As she got closer Bella could also just make out a third voice. The voice was much calmer than the other two and had an air of authority to it. Almost as if the person had lived a long life and knew what was what. Slowly, she finally reached close enough to the door, to allow the animated conversation to became more clear. The angry one was going on about someone knowing nothing and just getting over it. Bella did not however, get much of a chance to decipher the details because at that point Jake yelled at the people to get the hell out, and a tall, older man came from the garage dragging a younger one by his arm, with a pull that would rip any normal person's arm out of its socket. They both looked exactly like Jake and his friend, if not larger. The younger man was fuming, smoke practically blowing out of his ears like Steamboat Willey. But the older mans face was neutral; as calm as Bella had perceived his voice from before. They both looked up just in time to avoid Bella, and while the younger of the two couldn't give less of a shit that he almost broke the girl the older man whispered an apology before speed walking with his companion straight into the woods. All anger Bella had been feeling completely evaporated from her body and was replaced with a downpour of straight confusion. " _Seriously, what is happening on this reservation?"_ Bella pondered as she crept into the garage, being careful to make sure Jake knew it was her and not those men coming back. What she saw was incensed Jacob, shaking from head to toe. In the back of the garage Embry and Quil sat on some overturned buckets in the corner, looks of deep concern in their eyes but clearly too fearful to get up and do anything about whatever this situation was. Jacob turned around and upon seeing Bella, immediately calmed down, although his eyes still held red, hot boiling rage. As the silence continued for a now awkward period of time, with everyone just staring at everyone else, Bella decided it was time she was the good friend. Talking about people's problems was not her strong suit. Clearly, as she couldn't even discuss her own with family and also apparently eye contact was an important part of deep conversations. But, what she was good at, was remembering pieces that made other people happy and using that to help in these types of situations. So, she couldn't ask Jake what was wrong, and even if she did whatever she said afterwards would just make it worse. But she could offer a decent consolation prize; courtesies of Jessica Stanley's incessant need to be her sister's friend.

"So um sorry if this is a completely terrible time, buuuuut I come bearing a present!"

"Oh please, do share" Quil cooed in his usual _I'm trying to be sexy but I really end up incredibly dorky_ way, except is had a slight edge to it this time. Bella could feel the relief come off of him that someone else was attempting to bring the atmosphere back to normal.

"Uh yea so Idk if you know Jessica Stanley, she's a friend of mine from school. But she's having a party Friday night, and well I was invited along with Lia and Lia convinced Jess to let her bring some guy friends because she was thinking maybe you guys would want to come with me so that then she doesn't have to like babysit me the whole night and then she can actually have fun at her first party in Forks. And I totally get if you guys aren't interested or already have other plans but it seems kind of interesting so uh yea just thought I'd ask."

"Fuck yea!" Embry was the first to respond and it took him no time at all. "Hell yea! No yea I'm totally in!" Quil was next quickly following his friend's lead. Both boys were now sufficiently excited and the concern from before was wiped off their faces, replaced with excitement and mischief behind their eyes. Clearly the choices for parties and Friday night plans on the res were getting dull for them. The only person to hesitate was Jacob. Which if Bella were being honest, made her panic completely. Truthfully, she had never planned on telling any of them about the party. Her actual plan was to come today, complain about her "perfect little sister" enough that at least maybe one group of people wouldn't automatically love her upon introduction, and then go home without another word; _especially_ not one that included this party. When Friday rolled around she'd play sick, say she couldn't go out, and make a big deal about the guys having other plans when her sister immediately accused her of faking said illness. But that plan had gone to shit the second she saw Jake about to lose his mind. However, this particular distraction was tailored made to Jake and if he didn't answer yes in the next two seconds Bella was unsure of what she would do. She could NOT go to this party with just Quil and Embry.

Luckily it was Quil's turn to save her. "Come on man you have to come with us. Who knows what'll happen if I'm left alone with Bella" _Ok that is insanely creepy; mental note to mention it if he says that again_

"Yea Jake you have to come. I can't be left alone to protect all the girls on this coastline from Quil's abhorrent personality" _Never mind, Embry clearly gets it._

Unfortunately, Jake was looking less convinced and more off in space somewhere. That argument had clearly rattled more than his body. But Bella was determined to get him moving on and looking forward to something. "Come on Jake, please! We never hang out outside this garage and I'd really like to. We'll have fun I swear"

 _Yea ok that was a complete lie_ _but what are you supposed to say? The truth? The truth was that it would be fun; for everyone else._

"Ugh fine I'll go but I'm not drinking the punch" "That's fine bro, that's pussy ass shit anyway. We'll just shotgun beers then". "I think I might actually hate you Quil."

"So Bella what time?" "Oh um pre-game starts at 8:00, party starts at 10:30. I figure we get there no later than 10 just so we can grab some drinks before randoms show up and take it all" "Excellent plan". What was she doing; she sounded like her sister now. She hadn't ever even really drank, let alone partied, but now she was talking about pre-games and getting wasted before everyone else took the booze?! Oh if Renee could see her now she'd be damn proud. But Bella owed it to Jacob to do something, and she was having a good week. The party would probably drain her and throw her right back into the hole, but at least for now Jake had been an amazing friend to her in the very short time they had been working on the bikes, and Bella owed it to him to be a good friend back.

"So you two jackasses gonna help us with the bikes or are you gonna stand there and give shit commentary the rest of the night?" Bella smiled and chuckled at Jake's clear annoyance yet love for his friends. Yep, definitely brothers in another life for sure. "Shit commentary but this time is comes with free pizza". "Ooo I'll take that!" exclaimed Bella. Normally, she wasn't hungry(in fact she avoided most meal times) but this day she was feeling actually peckish and pizza sounded like just the perfect treat. "Alright, I'll accept your offer. Resume your roasting of each other". And at that Jake and Bella went over to the bikes, falling into their normal style of conversation, while Embry and Quil stayed seated on their buckets, ribbing each other about who could actually get a girl at the party.

It was odd that the one cute coffee shop in town was on the reservation; one would assume it would be in a more populated area. However, this did not dissuade Lia Swan from going there to study. AP English homework was pretentious, narcissistic, and yet slightly appealing and it deserved an environment equal to itself to study in. Lia had always done her AP homework in coffee shops. For some reason she had always found there were these silent agreements(especially in local places) to either remain quiet or find the area where others were talking and sit with them for your coffee date.

Coffee shops equated to calm for Lia, and at that exact moment she needed calm. School had been a whirlwind for her first day, and her depressed, yet jealous sister was no help at all. She had flown through Lia's introduction to her friends, barely saying each persons name before dragging Lia from the parking lot to the front office; school wasn't supposed to start for another half hour at that point, there had been no need to rush. And of course, when Lia was simply introducing herself to their photography class, Bella had been sitting there with a look of embarrassment. Because how _DARE_ she be the sister of the mysterious Bella Swan and be an even slightly extroverted right? In her next class Lia had been lucky enough to be placed right next to the cheer captain and this gave Lia the perfect opportunity to get herself a beginning of season tryout, instead of having to wait until right before she moved again to tryout for the team. The girl had been nice enough but she seemed slightly putt off by Lia, even going so far as to make a comment about her outfit being so fancy and put together. This was slightly understandable, as in a school full of jeans and t-shirts even on a beautiful summers day, Lia somewhat stood out in a flowery dress and Jack Rogers. Even her white jean jacket and brunette/blonde balayage hair added more color to the student body than it had seen in decades. Nonetheless it had thrown Lia for a loop and she had been hoping her own sister would have allowed her to feel normal at lunch. But lo -and-behold all she was met with were more stares, a girl named Jessica Stanley forcing her to come to her party on Friday, and a sister who was glaring at her so hard Lia felt it safer to eat with the cheerleaders.

And now she was here, finally working in peace, no stares or whispers behind her back. As she opened up Spark Notes on Shakespeare for the thousandth time she heard a deep voice order and turned to face the counter it had graced with its presence. What she was met with was single-handedly one of the most attractive men she'd seen in town; probably ever. This man had to be over six foot easily, and from the side she could see the short, black hair was perfectly quaffed. He was muscular but not too much, just the perfect amount to tell her he clearly worked out or played football or something. As the mystery man walked towards the pick-up end of the counter Lia noticed his walk had that comfortable stride; the stride of a man who was perfectly confident in himself, and could simply coast through day-to-day life. _Oh no_ Lia thought, _my taste in men is still trash; of course I am attracted to a player._

She clearly had been staring too long, as the man felt the hole she was burning into his back and turned to look at her. They locked eyes immediately and Lia quickly turned away, hoping maybe he really noticed. But when she peeped up to check she saw him openly staring at _her_ this time, mouth agape, and a glassy look to his eyes. The man looked like he had found water in the Sahara, the Magic Lamp in the Cave of Wonders. Even after she waved at him, he just kept staring. Maybe he was just so shocked to see a blonde, tan, curvy human being in the Pacific Northwest. It was only when Lia moved to go check on the man that he seemed to snap out of it and ran out the door, leaving his coffee behind. Normally, someone would be completely freaked out by this but she was used to, say, _unusual_ reactions to herself in Forks. So Lia simple shook her head, messaged the groupme about how weird her life continued to be, and proceeded to return to her English work, wondering how she managed to attract crazy without even being crazy herself.

 **PSA: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters created by Stephanie Meyer**


	5. Well, This is Happening

**A/N This story will contain triggers for suicide/depression and abuse (non physical). If you or someone you know is in crisis you can call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline or 1-800-799-7233 for the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Holding things in is not being strong, or brave but getting help and facing those problems and fears straight on is.**

Some days in your life will stand out as the most important. They are those days where you can remember what the whether was, what time you woke up, and the exact moment it became memorable. Today, was not one of those days for Lia. The sun had been shining all week, but unfortunately Forks had decided to finally give her a signature rainy day. Putting true effort into an outfit did not seem feasible so she threw on some black leggings, her hunter boots, and a cropped grey sweatshirt making sure it had a hood so she wouldn't have to add another layer to protect her hair. Lia decided she would, however, put some effort into her appearance; she figured she shouldn't look completely ordinary for cheer tryouts. Not that she was too worried she wouldn't make it, she'd never not made her old high schools varsity team and she doubted this small town team with only one level of cheer was gonna be too difficult to get onto. But it was the principle of the thing; you have an event that someone else put effort into, you but effort into it too. Lia proceeded to run through her usual skin care and makeup, putting a wing on her liner instead of the usual basic line. Setting spray applied, she put some loose curls into her hair, packed her gear for tryouts, and dragged all her stuff downstairs. She was greeted with a spaced out Bella, whose spoonful of cereal was hanging mid-way to her mouth and whose face was scrunched in thought. Rather than scare her, Lia proceeded to throw breakfast and coffee together and went to sit across from her sister. Usually Bella was gone before her so this was a rare moment, alone together. It took Bella a solid two minutes to notice that her sister had joined her and when she did it was not exactly a happy realization.

"What're you doing up so early?" It wasn't actually that early, in fact Lia was technically running a little late. "Uh just had to make sure I had everything together for tryouts later." "Oh yea, good luck" "Thanks". Bella got up, put her almost full dish in the sink, and started getting ready to head out. "Bells, you want to ride with me today? I know you've got yearbook after school we'd probably both be done at the same time" "Uh no thanks I'm good, I'm going over Jake's after wouldn't want to have to drive back home, just to go back in that direction." As if an after thought; "Thanks though"

"Oh well I don't have like, set plans tonight I'd love to see Jake. I don't think he knows me past the age of ten" Lia breathily laughed, attempting to put a lighter mood in the air. Bella, however, did not find this suggestion funny in any sense of the word. In fact, she looked almost terrified. "Oh no you don't wanna hang out with us. Super boring, no fun. You'd honestly be better off with Netflix. Plus I doubt you want to hang out with his friends too. They are really awkward and teenage boys suck right?" While Lia had to admit that men were in fact trash sometimes, she highly doubted Bella was the type of girl to hang around with that trash. In fact, she highly doubted Charlie's best friend would raise it. "Yea they do but Jake has to be pretty nice for you to hang out with him so much, right? Come on I'll be quiet, get to know them before the party, you'll not have to deal with me for a whole week. Please?" At this point, Lia would do anything to see how her sister was doing. She seemed a little better, but anyone can act ok for a few minutes each hour. This was the longest conversation she'd had with her sister in a week, no way was she getting the full effect. The look on Bella's face did not seem convinced, but in reality Lia did not care. If Bella didn't invite her now she was gonna just be extra nosy before the party. Lia must've been sending off this vibe because her sister finally became resigned, if not slightly annoyed.

Taking a deep breath, Bella looked to her younger sister, eyebrows raised in anticipation of her answer. She hadn't seen that look in a while, genuinely excited for what her older sister had to say. It wasn't the most adoring version of that look she had ever seen; no that version only existed when they were kids, when everything Bella did wowed the younger girl. One time, all she had to do was start showing Lia how to harness their dog and you would've thought Bella had given a lecture on quantum physics. No, this look did not hold that adoration. But it did hold a slight bit of hope in it and having any version of it staring back at her broke Bella down. Maybe seeing Bella actually being friendly with someone would show her sister that she was ok; or at least could thoroughly pretend to be. At the bare minimum it would prove that the girl's older sister wasn't a complete piece of shit. It wouldn't be that horrible either; Bella knew Lia was more than capable of keeping Quil and Embry enraptured with herself; those two didn't know what was about to hit them. Maybe Lia would be such a distraction Bella could finally get Jake to take her to first beach without the other boys and she could get in a photography session with the new camera her mom had sent for Bella's birthday. She had almost forgotten it existed OOOO maybe she could even capture the sunset. _Ok yea this will be perfect actually_ Bella convinced herself. _She will distract the others, I'll get my private photo session, and then come party time they'll automatically bug her, just like every other guy who has a choice between us, and I can not deal with them, well, ever._

"Uh yea sure I'll text you his address and meet you over there whenever you're done. " "Are you sure you don't want to go together in the Jeep?"

 _NO! Just give me some alone time with my music._

"No its ok , we can stay up talking pretty late, I don't want you to feel stuck and I don't want to feel bad for staying when you want to go home"

"True. Very true. Ok I'll see ya later, have fun at yearbook!" "Thanks, hope you make the team" "Psh yea I will". With that both girls left, getting into their cars and starting the drive towards school, two strangers just happening to be going in the same direction.

Lia felt Marissa starting to grow on her. The cheer captain was a genuinely sweet girl, willing to help people however she could. Maybe a little too sweet actually; a little more naïve than the girls Lia normally became friends with. But she had been willing to give her time, after school on a Thursday no less, so Lia could participate in one of the few high school activities she gave a shit about. She would've done photography/yearbook club too but that was her sister's thing and she didn't want to invade every aspect of her sister's life. As she sat at lunch talking to Marissa about a possible weekend trip to Seattle, she took a moment to look over to her sister's table. It was easy to spot Bella, with her straight brown hair, and the monotone colors that composed the girl's outfit. The older Swan was not engaged with her friends, in fact you wouldn't know she'd been around these kids for over a year now. Everyone was talking to another person if not actively putting food into their mouth. The only person not in a one on one conversation was Angela, and even she was pretending to listen to whatever Jessica Stanley was rattling on about. Jessica was a nice enough person but man could she talk. Lia didn't blame Angela for secretly scrolling through Instagram while Jessica clearly expected that she was giving her undivided attention. And then there was Bella, sitting slightly pushed back from the round table, creating a space for herself. She was reading a book, whose title Lia could not see. The cover did not look quirky and fun though. Her sister's face was made of boredom if not slightly down trodden. As if with her head in the book and no one obviously paying attention to her, Bella felt she could drop some façade she'd been holding for just a slight moment. As Lia watched, Angela, clearly relieved Jessica had had to pee, turned to Bella, commenting on who knows what. Bella in turn, kept her head down for just a moment longer than most people would and from Lia's angle her down trodden expression turned slightly annoyed. But this was quickly replaced by a smile and Lia took one last look as her sister moved her face to meet Angela's, laughed at whatever she had just said, and added her own comment to the conversation, allowing Angela to go on whatever rant she had been holding back until then. Bella seemed content to let this happen and settled into her chair further, her body language saying she was completely focused on Angela, her eyes holding a far off look ,saying the opposite. Lia decided to turn back to Marissa so as not to let Bella see her little sister openly staring at her. She took a mental note to ask the older girl what the fuck was going on, later.

Tryouts were, as Lia had predicted, nothing compared to what she was used to. Marissa, the angel she was, had sent her videos the second day of school of each cheer they did so Lia could learn them beforehand. Lia had a feeling it was also a slightly selfish act, as having to teach her the cheers would've forced Marissa to stay longer after school, but never the less it was much appreciated. Between those pre-learned cheers and a few tumbling passes Lia easily made the team and knew she'd probably be assigned as a flyer by Friday afternoon. Practice was done by the time Marissa and her finished and Friday's were reserved for game days, so Lia had all weekend to do whatever before being thrown back into the state of constant chaos she usually lived in and enjoyed. Bella had actually sent her, her location from Jacob's place, a pleasant surprise for the end of the day. Hopping in her jeep, Lia checked her face, making sure her locker room fix up had actually worked. Nothing quite like nasty showers and florescent lighting to make a girl second-guess her hard earned makeup skills. Satisfied, the jeep drove off towards the reservation.

Quil's jaw was going to break off if he kept it like that much longer. And while normally Bella would've tried to snap him out of it honestly she couldn't stop giggling at him long enough to do so. Her sister's arrival had left even more of an impression than anyone could have predicted. To Bella her sister looked normal, same outfit as that morning, same hair-style, same makeup. The only difference were the ray bans now firmly sat on her face to protect from the sun that had broken free. But to Quil she clearly looked like Cindy Crawford in that Pepsi commercial. Even Jake looked slightly thrown off, as if he was expecting the little brunette ten year old he had last seen her as. Lia's walk quickly took her close enough that Bella was able to view the smile that had grown on her face. She could hear the "Surprise Bitches!" playing in her sister's head but what came out of her mouth was a sickly sweet "Hey Bells". Thrown off, all Bella could do was smile and wave. Her sister was in her charm mode. She would start off sweet and smiley, enthusiastic to meet everyone, easily navigating Quil's inevitable attempt at flirting. Her sister would be sweet for a little bit, making herself just as comfortable with the company as they were becoming with her. As she wove her way in she'd find an opportunity to be witty, making a light jab at the expense of the person who seemed most able to take it. When everyone else joined in on this, including the person who she first took a jab at, the overly sweet personality would slowly slip away leaving a genuinely nice person but one with wit and sarcastic attitude. This brought her down to earth to those around her; she wasn't just some shining beacon of perfect personality and pretty face. She was "just like them". Except she wasn't. She was prettier than them (although Jake seemed to be giving her a run for her money lately), she had better style than them, she was smarter than them, she presented herself better than they did, and, although it wasn't insanely obvious, she had more money than them. Money that was shown through basic pieces of clothing being worth more than some people's whole outfit, a hair color that involved being able to have it re-touched every six weeks, nails perfectly polished and changing color every two weeks. Makeup that was so well applied that it clearly did not come from a drug store rack. But she didn't show it in how she interacted with those around her, and that was her strength. You'd never know that Bella Swan's little sister had already moved beyond this small town life, and was simply ensuring that her short return wouldn't be absolutely miserable. By the time Bella had convinced Jake to walk down to first beach with her, Lia had worked her magic and Quil and Embry were barely aware that they were leaving.

First beach was beautiful, in a north pacific sort of way. There was a thick, green tree line leading to it, but when it broke it broke onto a gray beach, strong waves in different shades of blue hitting its shores. There were branches and logs tracing this tree line, allowing visitors places to sit themselves and enjoy the view. Nature's way of saying "mi casa e su casa". From first beach Bella could see James Island, perfectly outlined in the red/yellow ombre of the sunset. She immediately tuned her camera to the perfect settings and began snapping pictures, chatting idly with Jake as she did so. There were one or two people sitting to watch the sunset but with the rain earlier that day and the sand and logs still being wet, they practically had the whole Beach to themselves. A calm washed over Bella, one she allowed herself to savor. No dark voice popped into her head and she didn't go searching for it. As she scanned the horizon for more shots, Bella noted the smaller islands right off James Island's edges. The miniature islands had been there her entire life, but for some reason Bella felt possessed to ask Jake about them in the moment.

"They aren't sacred like the main island, too small for us to really do anything with. Mostly dumb tourists and idiot kids from the res go cliff diving off them. But other wise eh". "People jump from there?!" "Yea, I guess if you throw yourself right you miss the rocks below but you have to really get some air. Sam Uley and his gang have it down to a science, from what I've seen". He said the last part with such disdain that Bella had to press him on it. "Who's Sam Uley?" Jakes face scrunched in anger, but his eyes seemed almost sad, like the thought of this person physically hurt him. "He's some older guy, lives out in the woods. Kids from school hang around him like he's some god. I swear they do whatever he says, no questions asked." "That's super creepy. Don't the adults find it creepy? How is he still allowed near children?!" "The adults love him! It's insane, my dad said he was 'protecting people.' And 'you'll get it one day jut focus on your own stuff'. The old mans' lost it! Plus the kids that hang around him are all at least seventeen so there's not much the adults could do even if they gave a shit". Jacob was becoming more and more visibly angry. _Back up!_ A voice in her head said. It wasn't the usual dark one, this one was more filled with concern and she did as it told. "Stay away from him Jake. Like I'm sorry but fuck your dad. That sounds insanely sketchy don't go near him"

"Yea I do stay away but he like follows me! You remember the other day when I was arguing with those two guys? That was Sam and his bff Paul. Fucking creepers, always trying to recruit anyone over 5'11" into their 'group'!" Now trembling. _Step back! As far as you can get without him noticing!_ The voice was now distinctly male; Bella inched her way further back. "Well, if you ever need to go into hiding I'm sure Lia would not argue having a tall, dark, handsome, and muscular kid her age stay in her room. Hell, she'd probably roll out the red carpet" Bella added a laugh at the end of the sentence. _Good, add levity, it will distract him_. Who used the word levity?

Jake instantly calmed down at the joke, laughing along slightly himself. "Yea I'll be sure to remember that for when I need to go into witness protection". They both laughed at that and Bella stepped closer, no voice arguing against this. The sun had slowly been making its way down the skyline and if they didn't start walking back now they'd be using a flashlight to guide themselves through the forest. Bella's ankles did not appreciate the thought as they knew how clumsy she was in day light. Just the prospect of her having to navigate the forest in the nighttime made them throb, and Bella told Jake it was time to go. Bella turned around quickly, right before hitting the trees, snapping a last pic of the cliffs off of the Island.

As the two approached Jake's house Bella could make out figures sitting in Lia's jeep, music blasting from the car, although what the song was Bella had no idea. Upon seeing the figure in the front passenger seat, Jake immediately lost his shit, running towards the car, anger streaming off of him. A shocked Bella, ran after him not sure of what was about to happen. The passenger door to her sister's car flew open. "What the fuck are you doing here?!" Oh, Jake was more than angry, he was fuming. Bella reached the jeep, recognizing the two in the back as Quil and Embry and the one sitting next to Lia as, what was it, Paul? "Your dad said I could borrow some tools, and told me where to get them. Chill!" "Ok so you have your tools so the fuck are you doing HERE?!" Was Jake mad because he was in Lia's car? Lia had had older guys in her car before and was always better than fine. If Jake was about to die on that hill, his death would be in vain. Although, Bella didn't appreciate her little sister hanging around an older guy that hung around with a possible steroid using pedophile? "Quil and Embry invited me to hang out for a bit. Thought we'd catch up" "Bullshit!" "I asked him to stay, jeez Jake!" And there was Lia's famous attitude. "Why the fuck would you do that?!" "Why the fuck shouldn't I?!" _Oh Jake, buddy,_ thought Bella. _I know he's messed up but trust me yelling at Lia does not end well._ Sure enough "Cause he's a piece of shit. He's a druggy Emmy, and he hangs around with the biggest creeps in La Push! And this is my house!" "Ok FIRST OF ALL" Lia had now exited the vehicle and her 5'3" frame was squaring up with Jake's 6'1" one; everyone looked much more fearful for Jake's safety than hers. "I am not ten anymore so you DON'T call me EMMY!" _Run Jake just fucking run._ "Second of all, this is ACTUALLY MY JEEP, so I don't need YOUR permission to have him hang out in it!" _Seriously dude there's still time!_ Bella's inner monologue was clearly not reaching Jake because he just moved closer attempting to use his size to intimidate Lia. It didn't work. "And lastly, how in the FUCK am I supposed to know that if NO ONE FUCKING MENTIONS IT UNTIL NOW!" Lia stared Jake down, a look in her eye that dared him to argue. The thing about Lia was that she not only held her own in an argument, but a lot of the times she made decent points. How could Jake be that mad at her about inviting a guy he hated to hang out, if Lia didn't know he hated the kid? For all she knew, without Embry and Quil arguing, this guy was just another one of their friends and Jake would be happy to see him there. By the way the kid had acted when Jake was yelling at him, Quil and Embry hadn't voiced any dissent when Lia asked him to stay a little longer. "It's MY HOUSE EMMY" _Oh Jake WHY?!_ "You don't invite people to hang around other people's houses!" "He was chill, I thought he was your friend, I invited him to stay. The fuck is the big deal right now?! If anything be pissed at Quil or Embry, they didn't say shit!" "This isn't about them right now, it's about you being rude!" Jake was now shaking, and Bella could swear she saw ripples move under his skin. That strange voice was back in her head telling her to back up, but she pushed it down, genuinely concerned for her sister's well-being. She'd never in her life seen Jake this pissed off. Not that he was going to hit Lia but not all blows had to be physical. Suddenly the kid in the passenger seat spoke, grabbing Lia's arm and gently moving her away from Jacob. "Ok, I'm going. Jake's right it's his house, his rules. I'm out." As he spoke, the person that Bella now viewed clearly as not a kid, moved from the passenger seat, subtly positioning himself in front Lia and between her and Jacob. Bella noticed her sisters face fall at his words. She was disappointed? "I'll see you at the party tomorrow?" Lia's face perked right back up at this. "Yea don't forget pre-game starts at ten" Ok now this man was coming to the party with the kids that hated him? Bella sighed. There went using Lia as a distraction. As long as she was anywhere near this man, the other boys were staying as far away as possible. "I'll text ya in the morning, just remind me. Didn't give me a fake number right?" "Nah that one went to Quil" Lia laughed. Quil looked slightly taken aback by this but remained silent. "Awesome, see you tomorrow beautiful" She blushed at this one. "See ya tomorrow". "Night guys" "Night man, have a safe drive home". Well, Embry at least clearly did not hate this man as much as Jake. He moved to leave, taking one last moment to have a quick stare down with Jake, before walking towards a pitch black truck parked next to Bella's rust one.

"I think its time we were leaving too guys" Bella stared pointedly at Quil and Embry, making it clear that their time in the jeep was over. Reluctantly, the two boys hopped out the back and walk around to where Lia was standing. Jake had walked away a bit, choosing to stand next the Bella. "We'll see you tomorrow right?" "Of course, same goes to you guys, don't forget the pre-games at ten. Be there or be sober" Lia giggled and gave both the boys hugs. Bella hugged Jake to say goodbye "I'll see you tomorrow too, right?" "Unfortunately". This got a laugh out of Jake, which shook Bella a bit and made her feel better about the whole night. They pulled away and Jake and the boys walked off towards the house, waving at Bella and Lia before disappearing inside. Before her sister could get into the drivers seat, Bella stopped her. "So, who was that" "His names Paul. I'll tell you later". Lia had a wide grin on her face, and seemed absolutely giddy about the prospect of talking about this new guy. Bella simply shook her head, smiling slightly at her little sister. "Ok, whatever you say". Lia may piss her off some days but it was still her little sister. Seeing her happy wasn't the worst thing in the world. Bella made her way to her drivers seat, checking in her mirrors that Lia was ready to follow her before driving off towards home.

 **P.S. I own nothing of Stephanie Meyer's creation. It's her world, I'm just partially living in it.**


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